This invention relates generally to a disposable absorbent garment, such as a diaper or training pant, and more specifically to such a garment in which absorbent pads are laterally shiftable in the garment to conform to the wearer.
The primary function of disposable absorbent garments, such as disposable diapers, adult incontinent briefs, and training pants, is to absorb and contain excreted body fluids and other exudates. The typical disposable garment includes a layer of liquid retaining absorbent material sandwiched between a moisture pervious facing, or top sheet, layer positioned adjacent the skin of the wearer, and a moisture impervious backsheet to confine moisture within the absorbent layer.
In the past, the absorbent layer has typically been comprised of a pad, or bat, of loosely compacted absorbent fibers, usually comminuted wood pulp, or fluff. While such absorbent material is relatively inexpensive and capable of absorbing liquids, the typical absorbent garment including such material most generally is configured such that it detracts from the comfort of the wearer. Explaining further, prior disposable absorbent products generally have had an absorbent pad with defined side-to-side dimensions which provided little, if any, variability in width to conform to the wearer.
The effectiveness and comfort of an absorbent garment are directly related to the absorbent capacity of the pads and the manner in which they conform to the wearer's body.
With regard to wearer comfort, it will be recognized that a wearer generally has a relatively small distance between his or her upper thighs, and whatever width of diaper exists between the wearer's legs that is in excess of the wearer's natural crotch width, will necessarily produce potentially uncomfortable pressing against the wearer's thighs.
In the past, attempts have been made to overcome this problem by providing in-cut side leg regions in the pad in the crotch region of the garment. This, however, in a single layer absorbent pad merely diminishes the absorbent capability of the pad in the region in which high absorbent capacity is required.
Other attempts have been made previously to provide multi-layer pads, but these have generally set side-to-side dimensions in the crotch region, and thus do not easily conform to the size and configuration of the wearer. Such set side-to-side dimension pad configurations of prior devices also may be too narrow, so that they do not fit snugly in the wearer's crotch region and thus may not fit closely enough to the body to produce desired absorbent characteristics.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel absorbent garment which has a pair of absorbent pads which are mounted in overlapping relationship and are shiftable laterally relative to each other to conform to the crotch region of the wearer to produce comfortable, yet effective, fit for the garment.
Another object of the invention is to provide an absorbent article having a first elongate absorbent pad, a second elongate absorbent pad, and a flexible sheet enclosure encasing the first and second pads, with the pads being disposed in an initial position laterally offset from each other, but with their adjacent edge margin portions overlapping such that the pads may shift laterally relative to each other from the initial overlap position to a second overlap position to vary the combined side-to-side dimension of the pads. This allows the pads to shift into varying degrees of overlap relationship to conform to the wearer's body, while still retaining adequate absorbent capacity in desired regions.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel garment which has a backsheet, a center pad secured to the backsheet along a central region thereof with side edge margin portions spaced outwardly from the region of connection to the backsheet free from the backsheet. A pair of elongate side pads also are secured to the backsheet in regions spaced outwardly from the securing of the center pad in the central region, with the side pads disposed in overlapping relationship with the side edge margins of the center pad. The opposed side edge margins of the center pad initially overlap the side pads by a distance which is a minor portion of a side-to-side dimension of the side pads. The cover sheets for the garment are sufficiently flexible that the side pads may shift laterally relative to the center pad to increase the overlap therebetween to an overlap dimension which may be a major portion of a side-to-side dimension of the side pad. With such construction a wide range of adjustability is provided for side-to-side dimension of the pads in the garment to produce a comfortable fit while maintaining adequate absorptive capacity.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an integral disposable absorbent garment is provided which includes a backsheet, a liner sheet overlying the backsheet, a first elongate absorbent pad positioned between the sheets, and a second elongate absorbent pad positioned between the sheets and offset laterally from the first pad, with the first and second pads being disposed in an initial position with marginal side edge portions thereof disposed in a first overlap relationship, and being mounted for shifting laterally relative to each other to vary the extent of overlap therebetween.